We Do Care
VSO isn’t just about volunteering overseas – we’re also about helping individuals and communities to make a difference right here in Ireland.
VSO says ‘We Do Care’: Irish government ODA Campaign
VSO wants the Irish government to continue the current funding for overseas development, so we reach the United Nations Official Development Assistance (ODA) target for overseas aid of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP).
Ireland has received overwhelming praise internationally for its aid programme. By making development cooperation one of the corner stones of our foreign policy, Ireland has shown that small countries can have a significant impact on international politics. However, since July 2008, the Irish government has cut development funding by 22 per cent. This drastically affects the lives of women, children and vulnerable people that VSO and other charities are working with in the developing world."
Ireland is reneging on its ODA commitments
At the UN Millennium Review Summit in 2005, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern publicly committed Ireland to reaching the UN target for spending 0.7 per cent of of our gross national product (GNP) on overseas aid by 2012.
The government set interim targets “against which our progress towards the targets can be measured”. The interim target set for next year, 2010, is 0.6 per cent of gross national income (GNI).
Due to massive and unprecedented cuts to the budget, Ireland’s aid expenditure for 2009 is predicted to fall well short of the target and reach only 0.48 per cent of GNI.
Ireland’s overseas aid budget has been cut by:
€45 million in July 2008
€15 million in October 2008
€95 million in February 2009
€100 million in April 2009.
The cuts in 2009 alone represent 22 per cent of the total aid budget - well in excess of the reduction in national income, which is estimated to be around eight per cent.
You too can remind the government that We Do Care
